


A Canadian Reunion

by athersgeo



Category: Chalet School - Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-20
Updated: 2008-12-20
Packaged: 2018-01-25 09:10:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1643252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/athersgeo/pseuds/athersgeo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joey finally returns to Canada.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Canadian Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> Written for thankyouturtle

 

 

Joey fidgeted with her skirt, pleating and unpleating the fabric between her fingers as she sat in the pleasant reception room of the convent. Quite why she should be nervous was beyond her comprehension, but the fact remained that she was, indeed, deeply nervous. This would be the first time she'd seen her adoptive baby sister in---

Joey frowned as she realised she wasn't entirely sure quite how long it had actually been. Oh, there had been letters and cards of course, but they weren't the same. Not when you came down to it. 

There had been a planned reunion when Robin had been on secondment to the convent in France, but a combination of illnesses (the children's), a sprained ankle (Joey's) and rescuing Adrienne Desmoins (Robin) had all contrived to steal the opportunities away. Even now, nearly ten years later, it still vaguely rankled with Joey that Peggy Burnett had been able to see Robin and she had not.

There had been another attempt, a year later, when Jack had been invited to attend a medical conference in Toronto, but that too had fallen through, thanks to Phil's bout of polio. Reg Entwistle had attended the conference instead and Reg, bless the lad, had performed courier duty on her behalf. He had taken both up-to-date news on Phil's condition and an up-to-date photo album to Robin and had returned with equally up-to-date news on Robin's doings and - and this was the part that had pleased Joey the most - an up-to-date photo of Robin herself together with some of her fellow sisters. 

Still, it was a pale substitute for a real, face-to-face reunion and Joey began to despair of ever being able to have one.

Then there'd been that awful accident just six months earlier, mere weeks before Len's wedding. Joey shuddered. It had been horrible - though ten times worse for everyone else; she'd mostly been unconscious, one way or another, through the very worst of it all - but it had held one positive side affect. It had forced her to stop saying "One day..." and had helped her to start saying "Today...". 

Of course, it wasn't quite as simple as that. There were still children to be looked after, books to be written and day-to-day tasks to be done, but as soon as she had been able to take her first unaided steps, Joey had said, "I'm going to Canada to visit Rob." And so, here she was.

All that was missing was Robin.

Here, Joey smiled ruefully to herself. If she'd thought about matters properly this morning, she would only just now be arriving at the convent, but she'd forgotten that Robin was currently teaching and, as a consequence, would not be available until lunch time. The lay sister who had greeted her had been extremely apologetic.

 _"I am afraid,"_ she had said, _"that la Soeur will be teaching until le midi."_

Joey had elected to wait, rather than leave and come back. Although she was well enough, it was a tiresome journey from the hotel where she and Jack were staying to the convent and she had promised Jack she wouldn't over do things. The lay sister had smiled and shown her into a delightful guest room where she could spend the time, offered her coffee and biscuits and then, seeing that Joey had brought both a book and some knitting with her, had left her in peaceful quiet.

The first hour had been fine, but now, as the clock ticked closer and closer to midday, Joey found herself unable to concentrate on her book and too nervous to do more than knot the wool she was knitting into a cardigan for Marie-Claire. She had finally given up in disgust a little more than ten minutes ago, which just left her sitting and watching the second hand on the clock apparently slow to an absolute crawl.

So close to midday.

Any second now, Robin would be arriving.

What would she say?

The sound of hurried approaching footsteps put a stop to that train of thought and Joey barely had time to straighten her much abused skirt before the door burst open and she found herself fielding a whirlwind in a habit.

"Joey! Chéri!" Robin's arms went tightly round Joey's shoulders in a hug that was nearly strangling in its effusion. "It is so good to see you!"

"And you," Joey answered, returning the hug enthusiastically. "It's been far too long."

"It has." Robin drew back and eyed Joey critically for some moments. 

"Do I pass muster?" Joey finally enquired as she squirmed uncomfortably under Robin's scrutiny.

"I'm struggling to work out how you've done it," Robin answered.

"Done what?"

"This." Robin waved a hand in a vague gesture. "With your earphones cut off, you look almost like you did in your last term at the Chalet School. I presume you don't have a portrait in one of Freudesheim's attics?"

Joey stared for a moment, trying to decide whether to be outraged or amused at the suggestion. "No, no portraits. Just plenty of children to keep me on my toes."

"Well whatever it is, it works wonders." Robin bestowed another hug, more gently this time. "And for that, I'm very grateful." She sat down in a convenient chair. "And are you fully fit now?"

"Mostly," Joey replied self-consciously. "I still have a little trouble with loud noises and I can't walk as far as I used to, though that should come back to me."

Robin nodded, her expression darkening. "When Con called me to tell me---"

"I can imagine," said Joey. "But, by the grace of God, the worst didn't come to pass."

"True." Robin smiled. "So, give me all the hanes; how are the family? Any grand children yet?"

Joey laughed. "Give poor Len a chance to get accustomed to married life. The wedding was only at Christmas and she wants to teach for another couple of years yet, at least, before children come along."

"I can't help but remember that you had four children by the time you were Len's age."

"Ah, but I married much younger, too, and between the escape from Austria and the start of the war, everything I did ended up happening rather faster than perhaps either Jack or I had intended." Joey smiled wistfully. "Not that I regret it, not for one second, but I do envy Len just a little for that."

"That's true. So what about the rest of the family? You made some cryptic comments about Felicity in your last letter."

Joey chuckled. "They were, weren't they? We were still waiting to hear, when I wrote, but now we know for certain."

"You don't change, Joey," Robin complained. "Tell me before I scrag you!"

"Surely nuns are above such petty revenges."

"Do you really want to find out?"

Joey chuckled again and relented. "Felicity had an audition for the Royal Ballet School in the spring. Jack and Con took her - I wasn't quite up to the journey then. The results came the day before Jack and I left for Canada."

"And?"

"And Felicity will be starting there in September."

"Oh, how wonderful!" Robin's smile was wide. "She must be thrilled."

"By Con's description, she's been dancing on air ever since."

"When does she leave for London?"

"Their term starts in the first week of September, but we'll be going over in the middle of August to buy uniform and to settle her in with Madge. Oh, she'll come home for the longer holidays of course, but their Easter break is quite short, though, and of course, half-terms are out of the question."

Robin nodded. "And getting away from the school in those breaks will be good for her."

"Absolutely."

"And what about Con? Is she still living at Freudesheim or is she just holding the fort while you're away?"

"Still living there," Joey answered. "She and Roger are planning to get married in a year's time, so they're both saving hard for that and since Con's income's a little unsteady just yet, it made sense for her to take Stacey Benson's apartment at Freudesheim rather than finding a place of her own. She does her own housekeeping and, to be honest, I see less of her than I saw when she was at Oxford!"

"Is she still writing for the magazine?"

"And another couple of publications, too. But they don't always need articles from her. She's also working on her novel so she's keeping busy."

"She sent me a snippet of that, last time she wrote," said Robin. "I was quite shocked by it. She was always such a dreamy kid that I wouldn't have thought such sharp observations would be in her power."

"Oh, she's grown up hugely. Her time at Oxford shook her up quite a bit. I think," Joey added pensively, "that something happened while she was there. Len knows and Margot knows what it was, but neither of them are saying. Whatever it was, Con suddenly woke up to the world."

"Shouldn't you ask?"

Joey shook her head. "I don't want to poke and pry. If Con wanted me to know, she'd have told me when it happened. There's certainly no sense in my raking it up now."

"No, true. Have you heard from Margot recently?"

Joey shook her head again. "I expect there's a letter waiting for me. The last I heard, she was going to be going to sent to one of the Caribbean islands or Central America, but she wasn't sure which."

"It's neither," Robin answered. "She's been sent to Sierra Leone and is working at a hospital there."

Joey winced. "It could be worse."

"She says she's based in Freetown and hasn't had any trouble," said Robin consolingly. "And, as you say, it could be worse, but it is what she wanted to do and she'll do it with all her heart and soul."

"Oh, I know that, but I'll still worry." For a moment, Joey's thoughts took the form of a silent prayer for her rebellious daughter-turned-medical missionary. "I do have one other piece of News," she continued.

"Oh?" Robin lifted her eyebrows.

"Mike's exam results are due at the beginning of August." Robin nodded. "But we don't need to wait for them. He's got a guaranteed place at Bristol."

"Goodness!" Robin exclaimed. "I knew he'd been knuckling down, but I didn't realise he'd done so well."

"He was never short of brains. That was always his problem. He was too easily bored."

"So what's he going to read?"

"Mathematics," Joey answered. She chuckled. "It'll be a busy August, between kitting him out and dealing with Felicity."

"It sounds like it. Will he stay with Auntie Madge?"

"Nominally," said Joey. "But so far, none of them have stayed with Madge for longer than a few days, here and there once they've got beyond their first term and Charles didn't even do that although, to be fair, he was right up in Scotland and the rail service isn't what it was."

"Of course," said Robin with a memory of her own university days, "Mike might decide the only way to get his laundry clean is to visit Auntie Madge!"

"He'll be disabused of that notion," said Joey darkly. "If not by me and Madge then certainly by Marie who has quite enough to do without that."

Robin laughed. "I still remember Marie's strictures on the evils of producing too much in the laundry line from when I was a naughty ten year old who thought an ink fight was a good idea."

Joey goggled. "Who on earth did you have that with?"

"Amy Stevens and Maria Miranni. It was the one of the summers you were visiting Elisaveta and we all got into horrible trouble for it."

"So I should think." Joey chuckled. "And to think people always thought you were a _good_ girl."

Robin smiled in saintly fashion. "I didn't do it often, but I might have traded on that reputation once or twice."

Joey laughed. "I think I'd be more worried if you hadn't."

"Speaking of evil doings, how is Geoff getting on these days?"

"Still leading everyone a merry dance. I think he's possibly even more of a menace than Mike was at this age and he will keep dragging Phil into his misadventures."

"At least Phil's fit enough for that," Robin pointed out. "That's something to be thankful for."

"That's what I try to remember every time the pair of them are in trouble." Joey shuddered. "I'm always grateful when Steve or Mike are around. They both sit on Geoff good and hard."

"And what about Felix?"

"He's been throwing himself into his sport. It's the one area that his three older brothers haven't, between them, utterly covered the Maynard family in glory. Poor lamb. Steve walked away with every Physics and Chemistry prize going and is about to start his final year at Cambridge. Charles wiped the floor with everyone when it came to English and Scripture and is studying at St Andrews. Mike's not been quite so wholesale over any one subject but he's taken prizes in most and been a successful Head Boy. And, to add insult to injury, at least as far as Felix is concerned, the subjects Mike didn't take prizes in, Roddy did. It all leaves Felix some large footsteps to fill."

"So he's decided not to compete."

"He's a little like Con in that regard. Not really academic but a hard worker. Sport, though, he does excel in, so the person I feel sorry for is Geoff, unless he suddenly develops an overwhelming talent at music, but I think Phil's the twin who got all that talent."

"Poor Geoff," agreed Robin. "Still, there's time yet for him to find a way to stand out, and I don't mean by mischief alone!"

Joey chuckled. "That's true."

"That just leaves Cecil," said Robin. "And Marie-Claire. Are they doing well?"

"And Ruey," Joey pointed out, but Robin merely smiled, making Joey wonder just what the younger woman knew. "Cecil and Marie-Claire are both doing well. Marie-Claire's enjoyed her first term at St Nicholas and Cecil's enjoyed her last. They're both a little like the second twins. They're still finding their feet and haven't yet got any lofty plans, which suits me nicely. I'm not ready for all my babies to be so grown up!"

Robin chuckled. "Does this mean you're still planning quads?"

Joey smiled wistfully. "I did threaten it while I was convalescing, but not seriously. I can't see there being any more babies, but there may well be a few more adoptees. You know me. I like having people to look after. Adrienne, by the way, sends her love."

"She's hoping to come out and visit just as soon as she's saved enough money," Robin answered, a faint frown creasing her face. "I just hope she's not over doing the saving."

"On that score, you can rest your mind easily," said Joey. "Jack and I keep an eye on her and make sure she's not just living on a shoestring and that she is getting out and experiencing life in Paris while she studies. Even now, I wonder what her father was thinking when he let her live such a hand-to-mouth existence."

"From what I know of him, he wasn't thinking a great deal," Robin replied. "But it's good that she's getting to see life outside the class room. She's certainly enjoying the studies."

"Good. And now you can tell me what you mean by excluding Ruey for as far as I'm aware, she's up to nothing more remarkable than teaching her second year at Sacred Heart."

"That's where you're wrong."

Joey lifted her eyebrows slowly. "Oh?"

"Do you remember the Chalet School had a Canadian teaching for a while? An exchange teacher called Miss Moore. I'm not sure I ever met her but I do remember Len and Con talking about her."

Joey nodded. "I remember. The school had her for two years and then she went back to Canada when the school moved to Switzerland."

"Well, the same thing happens in reverse. Ruey's been offered the chance to come here and teach for a couple of years. She wrote to me to ask for advice about where to stay and I got the whole story then. I'm not sure if it's all been confirmed, but her latest letter sounds very positive."

"What a fabulous opportunity. I hope that works out for her."

"I'm sure she'll be writing to you with all the details once they're confirmed."

Joey nodded. "So, we've talked about my family. What about you? What's your news?"

Robin smiled. "I don't think there's anything to compare with Ruey or Mike or Felicity, but I'm going to be going on secondment again from next month."

"To the convent in France again, or somewhere else?"

"I'm not sure yet. It could be France, but it might also be one of the sister convents in America or..." Robin's eyes danced. "Or it might be a convent in Berne."

"Berne?" Joey ejaculated. "Are you sure?"

Robin laughed. "Same old Joey. Not listening. I already said I wasn't sure. The Berne location, though, is probably the strongest possibility."

"That would be fabulous, if you got it," said Joey.

"I'd finally be able to meet my namesake," said Robin. "And the second twins. And all sorts of old friends, too. Isn't Daisy living in Switzerland too, now?"

"She is. There's also Grizel, Elisaveta, Hillary---"

"Hi! Don't name the whole colony!" Robin giggled. "You'll be there all afternoon."

"True for you." Joey eyed the clock and noted it now read nearly half-past one. "Goodness, where has the time gone?"

"Washed away with the tide," Robin answered, slowly getting to her feet. "Do you have time to stay for lunch?"

"Jack's not expecting me back at the hotel for a while yet. I think," she added sheepishly, "he expected us to lose track of the time."

"Well we've certainly done that." Robin held out her hand to Joey. "Let me show you around, we can have lunch and we can finish catching up. After all, I still want to hear about Len's wedding and how the school's doing, and the rest of the hanes!"

Joey accepted the hand up. "Lead on, then."

As they left the reception room, Joey fleetingly thought of her earlier nerves. How silly they'd been. It might have been years since they'd last seen each other, but they were still sisters and deep down, no matter how they both changed, that was all that mattered. 

 


End file.
